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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR ROBERT ARIAIL FOR HIS PHILANTHROPY OF ASTRONOMICAL ARTIFACTS AND LITERATURE TO THE STATE MUSEUM AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND FOR HIS REMARKABLE SERVICE ON THEIR BEHALF.
Whereas, Robert Ariail helped secure and restore a rare Alvan Clark telescope for the State Museum's Windows to New Worlds observatory, which will serve students and the public of all ages, both on-site and from remote locations; and
Whereas, Mr. Ariail also located, restored, and recommended the donation to the State Museum of the historic 1849 Henry Fitz telescope, the oldest American-made observatory telescope remaining and on the verge of complete loss, from Erskine College to the museum's science displays; and
Whereas, he has donated his entire collection of antique telescopes and astronomical instruments, among the best in the world, to the State Museum, containing over two hundred objects, such as rare astronomy tools and instruments and more than sixty telescopes, the oldest dating to 1730; and
Whereas, his donation of a collection of fine modern telescopes and astronomy instruments for museum programming has allowed the museum an opportunity to expand its public observing in-house and outreach programs; and
Whereas, since the inception of the State Museum's Windows to New Worlds project, Mr. Ariail has guided its development as a State Museum Foundation board member, advisor, and friend; and
Whereas, his combined gift of texts and instruments to the University of South Carolina Library and State Museum represent a top-ten collection in the world and has created a legacy for both institutions by attracting world-wide attention and business to the museum, university, and our city, county, and State; and
Whereas, his gift to the University of South Carolina libraries includes over five thousand books, including rare star atlases, scientific journals, rare offprints, manuscripts, and ephemera relating to historical astronomy, a collection important for both teaching and research, as well as providing students and faculty across the State a unique understanding of this area of study; and
Whereas, not only will the collection attract the attention of researchers around the world, but through digitization of some of these materials, scholars will also be able to access them from any global site and view them with enhanced technology; and
Whereas, included in the collection are star atlases and monographs of notable astronomers from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries; periodical publications from numerous major observatories, such as the Dudley Observatory and the Griffith Observatory; and early scholarly publications, including The Observatory, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, and the Journal of the British Astronomical Association; and
Whereas, one notable manuscript written by William Stukeley, a contemporary and colleague of Sir Isaac Newton, expands on Stukeley's conversations with Newton and provides detail on his theory of the Milky Way, predating other scholarship on the topic by thirty years. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize and honor Robert Ariail for his philanthropy of astronomical artifacts and literature to the State Museum and the University of South Carolina and for his remarkable service on their behalf.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Robert Ariail.
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